Please can we not cut testing?

In the race to meet deadlines, create stunning visuals and deliver cutting-edge digital experiences, testing often finds itself on the chopping block. After all, the creative is eye-catching, the design is flawless, and the project is almost complete – what could go wrong??

The reality is: a lot can go wrong if we don’t prioritise testing. It’s the unseen hero of every successful digital project, ensuring that what looks great on the surface performs just as well under the hood.

Why testing matters more than ever:

At its core, testing is about quality assurance. No matter how visually stunning a website is, if it doesn’t function properly, users won’t stick around. Testing ensures that every button works, every page loads quickly and the user experience is seamless across devices and browsers.

This phase in the development process doesn’t just safeguard against minor bugs; it protects the entire user experience. Imagine a visitor heads to a beautifully designed site, eager to learn more or make a purchase, only to be met with broken links or an unresponsive shopping cart. The damage is immediate – not only have you lost a potential customer, but the brand’s credibility has also taken a hit.

For clients, skipping testing might seem like an easy way to save time or cut costs, but the long-term impact can be more costly. Brand reputation, once damaged by a poor online experience, is hard to rebuild. Testing is what ensures the creative vision translates into a seamless and trustworthy digital experience.

The consequences of skipping testing:

The cost of skipping or reducing testing doesn’t always show up immediately, but it often surfaces in expensive ways later. Bugs, broken features and slow load times can lead to:

• Increased costs: Fixing post-launch issues is far more expensive and time-consuming than catching them during development. Bugs found in the wild often involve rushed fixes, which can introduce even more problems.
• Lost opportunities: Potential customers or partners are easily frustrated by a slow or malfunctioning site. Every second of delay or error is an opportunity for them to click away and go to a competitor.
• Reputation damage: In the age of social media and instant reviews, a single bad experience can spread quickly, damaging both the client’s brand and the agency’s reputation.

Dispelling the myths about testing:

There are a few common reasons why testing is often sidelined in projects:

• “We don’t have time”: It may feel like there’s no room in the schedule, but time saved by cutting testing is a false economy. Bugs that go undetected now will inevitably consume more time (and budget) later when they’re found post-launch.
• “It’s not necessary”: This misconception often arises because testing doesn’t have the same visual ‘wow’ factor as design. But while it may not be glamorous, testing is what ensures that the website’s functionality matches the creative vision.
• “The creative is more important”: While creativity and design draw people in, testing ensures those elements work as intended. Functionality is just as critical as aesthetics, if not more.

Best practices to ensure testing isn’t cut:

Incorporating this into each phase of the development process by testing features as they’re built, will catch issues early when they’re easier to fix.?

Testing should be a continuous process where in each sprint testing is included alongside development, ensuring bugs are identified and resolved as the project evolves. This approach not only improves the final product but also keeps the team aligned and aware of potential issues before they escalate.?

Lastly, every aspect of the site needs testing, including usability, performance, cross-browser compatibility and mobile responsiveness. Each type of testing focuses on a different potential failure point, providing peace of mind that nothing has been overlooked.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, cutting testing may save time in the short term, but it creates far bigger problems down the road. The testing phase is critical to delivering a high-quality digital experience that works as beautifully as it looks. No matter how tight the deadline or how amazing the creative, testing is non-negotiable.

So, the next time you’re tempted to rush to the finish line, remember: testing is what turns good work into great work. It’s the safeguard that ensures creativity reaches its full potential, free of glitches and with a flawless user experience to back it up.